3YG Issue 1, Departure Plans
by guardian921
Summary: First in my 3 Year Gap. Brainy decides that enough is enough and discusses the future of the Legion and himself with Cosmic Boy and Shrinking Violet


Title: **3YG Issue 1, Departure Plans**  
>Category: Crossover » Legion of Super Heroes and Legion of Super Heroes<br>Author: guardian921  
>Language: English, Rating: Rated: K+<br>Genre: General/Friendship  
>Published: 10-11-08, Updated: 01-03-10<br>Chapters: 2, Words: 8,164

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: What is 3YG?<strong>

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><p><em><strong>What is "Three-Year Gap"?<strong>_

According to the show's producers, it had been planned to continue the show into a Season 3 that would take place three years after Season 2. When the show was officially canceled, it was announced that they would continue on with the _Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century_ Animated Comics, showing where the show left off. It was mentioned that the comics would follow Brainiac 5 in his leaving the Legion and would have several issues with Kell-El (aka Superman X) making guest appearances.

This, to the misfortune of many dedicated fans, never occurred. The comic series was put to a halt after Issue #20. A tribute to the _Legion of Super-Heroes_ celebrating their 50th year anniversary, the story plot took place during the end of Season 2, well before the _Dark Victory_ finale. The only chance the reader has to see a human Brainiac 5 and Kell-El are literally mere glimpses between alternate reality gateways.

Highly disappointed in WB/DC comics failure to provide the promised adventures, I have decided to take matter into my own keyboard.

The "_Three-Year Gap_"(or _3YG_ for short) is a series of fanfiction and fanart that depicts how LoSH Animated comics should have ended, or in this case, continued. The series will supply the readers with what was promised and more. Not only does 3YG provide adventures of the characters in the show (such as Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, etc.), but they will _re-introduce_ several canon characters from the original, "old-school" comics that have been redesigned to fit the Animated Universe. Some of these will include Kono, Gates, and Lightning Lass.

As I am balancing this between school and work, I ask that you be patient with me. I wish to do the show justice, and plan on taking my time to do so. I will not rush through the stories and artwork, mainly because my works get extremely sloppy when rushed, so please do not bother requesting me to do so.

I _will_, however, write more stories and make more artwork based on the amount of comments and responses I receive. I see no point in continuing this if I do not know whether or not they are being appreciated by fans, so please, feel free to leave a comment, helpful critique, or anything else you may wish to express.

As a fellow Legion of Super-Heroes fan, I thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you enjoy my works.

Sincerely,

Guardian921

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Departure Plans<strong>

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><p>Title: Departure Plans<p>

Author: guardian921

Rating: K+

Warnings: serious futuristic swearing and total jerks

Disclaimer: LoSH © DC Comics, story plot and time © me

A/N: this is my first LoSH fic, so please be nice; terminology at bottom; With college and everything, this took me a good four months to finish, So I hope you like...

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><p>A little more then a month had past since Brainiac 1.0's defeat. The planets and their people, their armies, everything that had been digitized for the sake of creating a perfect universe and gaining knowledge had been properly restored. Needless to say, the whole ordeal had left quite an uproar for the United Planets, but nothing that could not be fixed with a bit of time and a whole lot of patience. Most of the planets blamed the Coluans, who in turn claimed to have been just as much the victims as everyone else. Surprisingly, the Coluan Empire stood in the defense of the Collective's black sheep. When the topic had been brought up for discussion, they merely referred to the teenager's actions as the result of being an unwilling pawn, dominated by the corrupt programing of Brainiac 1.0, who had proven himself more indestructible then was previously believed. In the end, the United Planets cleared the former-robotic legionnaire of all charges against him, taking into account that it was he who eventually destroyed the villain and restored the digitized prisoners to their rightful selves. The Coluan Empire, however, was a different matter. Since they were not apart of the United Planets, they were still granted the full right to discipline him as they saw fit. Shockingly enough, the boy was merely sentenced to planetary banishment, until the Empire decided on a final fate andor said otherwise. In Brainiac 5's opinion, it was not a big deal, seeing as _he_ had left Colu in the first place.

Although the United Planets and the Coluan Empire had concluded any and all issues regarding him, the _Legion of Superheroes_ was another matter entirely.

Despite all the constant reassurance that he was not hated by his fellow legionnaires, he could not help but feel ashamed about all he had done. Even Superman, the one person that he practically worshipped, could not bring ease to his pain. A pain that was not only brought on by the guilt of his 'betrayal' towards his friends, but also the emotions that came with being a human. At the most random moments, Brainiac 5 would find himself overwhelmed with various feelings towards insignificant reasons. Despite that he knew enough about the Coluan pre-evolved body to take care of himself, emotions where something that his home world had always deemed illogical and pointless. Now everything in his head was like an exploding star, surging his very being with feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, anger... so many things that it made his concentration skills falter. Already he had caused several damages due to this lack in attention, and he himself had begun to fear that he was still a threat to those around him. A fear that eventually led to his decision to leave the Legion, in order to sort through his confusion and emotions.

When the others had heard of his decision to leave, a war seemed to break out among the Legionnaires. While many of the heroes wanted Brainiac 5 to stay, there was also a large amount of those who wanted him to leave. Debates seemed to break out between them, pointing out the pros and cons of allowing the Coluan to stay.

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><p><em>"He practically built Legion HQ, not to mention all the equipment we use..."<em>

_"If he betrayed us once, who's to say that he won't do it again?"_

_"He was possessed by that lunatic... Brainy did his best to fight against him, but he was too strong..."_

_"He's a Brainiac and you can never trust a Brainiac..."_

_"Colu banished him... he has no where to go..."_

_"He digitized practically everything in existence..."_

_"He's saved more lives then we can even imagine... even reversed several of his ancestor's past destruction..."_

_"He barely even got punished... removing him from the Legion should be fair enough..."_

_"He's not even a robot anymore, so he can't exactly get taken over by an evil computer villain..."_

_"Both his emotional and mental state is a hazard... he could have a break down at any given moment..."_

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><p>Ever since the whole debate started, Brainiac 5 had been treated differently by all of the Legionnaires. Whenever he left the sanctity of his room, he would find himself assaulted at times by <em>'Anti-B5'<em> supporters, who would belittle him. Following him throughout the building, they would accuse him of tampering with Computo and other important equipment. Some - mainly Nemesis Kid, Sun Boy and several of their lackeys - would physically abuse him. Whenever they could get Brainiac 5 alone, they would gang up on him. Since the Coluan had no powers and no longer possessed the robotic components that had once made up his entire being, all he could do was try not to give them the satisfaction of crying, and merely wait it out.

His friends, however, became even more determined to sway him into staying, to show him that he was wanted, each in their own way. Whether it was praising him on his accomplishments, asking for help on a complex matter, or, in Phantom and Triplicate Girl's case, giving him a random hug and expressing their relief that he was safe and sound.

It seemed to work for a bit, until one day when the blond teenager had been lost in a cold-induced daze. He had been given the chance to prove himself by overseeing some of the Legionnaires' battle simulation training, and, having never been sick before, figured it was simply his nerves getting the better of him. Unfortunately, in his stupor he had accidentally overloaded the program to **LEVEL 10,** which deleted some important data as well. Painfully, the Coluan boy struggled to stand upright as he attempted to shut down the simulation before any serious damage could be inflicted upon his teammates, but was interrupted as Lightning Lad rushed up to the control room. Demanding to know what had happened, his eyes widened as Brainiac 5 leaned against the control panel, coughing between labored breaths with a sheen of sweat flushed against his green flesh. Helping him into the chair, Lightning Lad removed his left glove and placed the back of his hand against the boy's forehead. He smiled comfortingly at the panicked expression that looked up at him...

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><p><em>"Looks like you need to stop by the medical bay."<em>

_"Why? What's wrong?"_

_"Relax, B5. You just have a cold by the looks of it."_

_"..."_

_"You alright?"_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"For what? You can't help being sick."_

_"I mean for messing up the simulation."_

_"Are you kidding?"_

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><p>Smiling down at his younger friend, Lightning Lad assured him that there was nothing to be sorry about; that he had done his best even though he was obviously ill. Still unsure, Brainy agreed to have Triplicate Girl give him a check up on the condition that he was allowed to fix the computer as soon as she was done. This in turn had earned him a soft, warm-hearted cuff on the shoulder from his fellow legionnaire as the agreement was made, a timid smile and an amused grin flashing at each other.<p>

The comfort was short lived, however, as Nemesis Kid and several others stormed up in a fury, demanding to know whether or not the _'12th level egghead'_ had purposely attempted to slaughter them...

_'again'_

Since that episode, Brainiac 5 had barricaded himself inside the shelter in his room, only coming out when he was needed or his body demanded food. Even then he would merely take his meals back to his room, sometimes denying his body nourishment altogether. No matter how much the others tried, they could not coax the boy out.

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><p>"This is your fault, you know." Nemesis Kid glanced up from the couch where he and several others were watching another one of Bouncing Boy's horror classics. Lightening Lad was glaring at him from behind, his electric blue eyes reflecting the pent-up anger that consumed him.<p>

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Brainy." Had the venom that dripped from the man's voice been literal, there would have been a hole in the floor from the acid. Nemesis Kid turned his attention back to the screen as he ignored the comment, further angering the Legionnaire. "He was actually getting better until you screwed everything up!"

"He tried to kill us... _AGAIN!_"

"That was an accident and you know it!"

"_Accident?_" By now both men were yelling in each other's face, causing several other Legionnaires to drop what they were doing to see what all the commotion was about. Bouncing Boy also had paused his film, knowing that none would be able to hear or pay attention anyways. "The guy set the simulation to **LEVEL 10**! Not to mention he deleted most of the programming data, _and _we were almost chopped into bloody bits! Cham's arm was nearly burned to a crisp, as well! How is that an accident?"

"He was sick!"

"Yeah, in the head! I suppose that makes it alright?"

"He's not sick in the head and yes!" Lightening Lad jabbed his finger towards the door, indicating to the room that Brainiac 5 had locked himself in.

"He's human now! He couldn't get sick before because he was a robot and robots can't get sick! The worst that would happen is some virus getting past his firewalls, and even then he would only be down for a few hours at the most! But he's not anymore! He's a teenage human! What? Do you actually think that because he's a genius, it would mean changing species would just be a cakewalk? How the hell is he suppose to know what to expect? Don't even get me started on his _emotions! _I'm not a genius, but I know for a fact that Coluans aren't exactly the most sentimental beings! He was already emotional as a robot, how do you think he's emotions are effecting him now that he's human? We gave him another chance to show that we trust him, and he probably didn't want to blow it! _Nass! _He probably thought it was just his nerves! He wanted to prove himself, so he ignored it and learned the hard way that he was sick! Then - _no,no! This is the best part! _After he managed to shut down the simulation, save the lost programming, _and _downloaded the backup disk - all in _five minutes_ I might add- you blow up at him! He's already upset because he thought he'd blown his chance at proving himself trustworthy, and you start screaming in his face! _Sprock! _How brain dead could you get? I'm surprised that he didn't start crying! I'm a tough guy and can take a lot, but if I was an emotionally troubled - not mention _mentally traumatized - fifteen year old kid _with my first cold, and was yelled at for nearly killing those I care for? You better believe I would have been running to my room in tears! Now Brainy's secluding himself from the rest of us because he's scared that he'll hurt someone! He's killing himself!"

"Now you're overreacting - "

"_No, he's not!_" All heads turned to face Phantom Girl, who stood up from her spot on the couch. "You haven't seen him, but _I have._ I've phased into his room plenty of times during the night because I was worried. He's wasting away. He barely eats anymore and he's not even sleeping most of the time."

By now the President's daughter was shaking as she clenched her fists, trying to control her composure. Her eyes began to water as she stood tall. Timber Wolf's ears flattened against his head as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"It's alright - " he began, before the young woman pushed him off of her, surprising everyone. It was common knowledge that Phantom Girl would never reject comfort from Timber Wolf, or anything for that matter, unless she was extremely annoyed or angry.

"No, it's not! Whenever I go check on him, he'll be hunched over his lab table if he's awake, and most of the time he'll be shaking like a leaf. Even in his sleep he's hurting. He tosses around like he's being attacked, and even cries out apologies. It's horrible..." By now she had clung to Timber Wolf's arm with one arm, the other holding her head as she attempted to calm her silent sobbing before continuing, her voice just a whisper. "Brainy is going through so much right now. He's always been looked down on by his home world, and even in the Legion he's been treated different, just because he was a robot. You saw what a monster Brainiac 1.0 was. Brainy's been so ashamed of his heritage that he sacrificed so much. He left his home world, even though he knew that being separated from the Hive Mind would physically hurt him. He almost died during his first Alignment alone, but he didn't care. He just wanted to help people. He wanted to use his gifts to help people and not be some type of prized ColuGov drone."

By now the Legionnaires were stunned into a silence. Even Nemesis Kid was glancing around nervously, trying to think of something that would break the awkward silence, but still support his stand on removing Brainiac 5 from the Legion.

"Yeah, well - "

"Oh, just shut up!" Cham's sudden outburst jolted the others from their thoughts. Never had any of them seen or heard the young changeling express such anger. His large, usually green eyes burned with such hatred that they were almost a frightening red hue. Sharp fangs, about an inch long, were protruding from his mouth, which had been pulled back into a vicious snarl as he looked ready to slaughter the freckled blonde. Everyone made a mental note to never infuriate a Durlan. "Ever since you joined the Legion, you've been bullying anyone smaller or different from you! First you started bugging Karate Kid because he didn't have any powers, and me because I'm the youngest! The only reason you left Brainy alone before was because he was higher in rank then you and could whoop your sorry ass into the medical bay for a year! Ever since this whole thing blew over, you've been using it as a way to pick on him, 'cause he was apart of that computer creep, and now that he's human, you're using it against him, because you know that he's weaker then any of us now. Don't think I don't know what you and your buddies have been doing. You've been beating him up! How many times has Brainy limped back to his room after having a _'talk'_ with you guys? How many times has he told us some lame excuse about getting hurt in _'an unfortunate lab accident'_?"

"Now see here, Chameleon Boy," Cosmic Boy spoke up, frowning at the youngest member. This was getting out of control and he was going to put an end to it. "I admit that Nemesis Boy's physical actions towards Brainiac 5 are unacceptable, but he and the others have every right to be wary of him. True, he was used as a pawn against his will, and he can't be affected that way again, now that he's human. But that doesn't make him any less of a threat! His intelligence level alone makes him a possible risk."

"You've never considered Brainy a threat before - and he was a lot more dangerous back then as a robot then he is now," Lightning Lad pointed out. "Brainy's a good kid. He's always had a big heart and good head on his shoulders. He may not be mission-adequate, but his mind is practically a superpower in itself!"

"Exactly!" The Legion leader stood straight as he looked around at his teammates. "He's a genius. It's not that he's a traitor, _because he's not!_ We all know that Brainiac 1.0 forced him against his will, and that's _why_ he can't be a member of the Legion anymore. We've all seen how this whole ordeal has affected him. He's confused, emotional, and to be honest, a little unstable. He's not completely there anymore and he needs help. Help that we can't give him."

"So what are you saying, _Rokk_," Lightning Lad challenged, his lightening scar glowed as his blue eyes pierced Cosmic Boy's brown ones. "That Brainy's crazy? That we should lock him up in some mental hospital?"

"I'm not saying that and you know it, _Garth!_ I'm merely pointing out that he needs help that we can't give him. He needs to be somewhere people can give him the help and guidance he needs. Once he's completely stable again, we might be able to consider allowing him back in the Legion."

"Exactly! Admit it, Rokk! You wanna send him to some nut house like that _Barking Asylum for the Criminally Unstable_ that Superman told us about!"

"That's _Arkham_ Asylum for the Criminally _Insane,_" a voice spoke up.

Everyone paled at the sight of the Coluan boy, who stood in the doorway, his left hand holding onto the edge of the door as his right hung limp by his side, a couple of data pads clutched in his hands. A defeated look on his face, he watched the men and women who had once been his friends. Almost everyone looked away in embarrassment so avoid his gaze. Even Nemesis Kid could not bring himself to look into those green orbs, which were filled with an almost forlorn darkness.

"Brainy!" Bouncing Boy stood up in surprised horror. "How long have you -?"

"Long enough," he replied. Steadily, Brainy walked up to the group, offering a small smile of comfort. "And Cosmic Boy is correct in his observation. I'm not stable enough to be a Legionnaire anymore... at least for now. I would only be causing more harm then good. I believe Nemesis Kid pointed that out when I almost got several of you... uh... '_chopped up into bloody bits_' during that one training simulation. I should have known that I wasn't well enough to be handling such machinery at that time..."

"C'mon, Brainy. There's no way you could've known you were sick..."

"I appreciate your reassurance, Vi, but I'm afraid that's not true. Coluans are organic humanoids by birth. Once we reach a certain intelligence level, the Collective merely... _evolves_ us into the robotic beings you've witnessed. I know enough of the basic pre-evolved Coluan biology to have realized that I had contracted _acute coryza_ -"

"Acuta what?" Ultra Boy asked, shrinking as Nemesis Kid shot him a look.

"_Acute Coryza_... the common cold." The Rimborean looked away, not only in embarrassment as the green teenager smiled at his confusion, but at the eeriness of his voice; kind, and yet almost hollow. "Actually, ninety-eight point five percent of all pre-evolved Coluans that travel outside of Colu's thermosphere will be subject to at least five different types of common illnesses. It's one of the reasons why we're evolved into a more non-organic form."

"Was there something you wanted?" Nemesis Kid snapped, causing several glares to be shot his way. "Or did you just want to give us a biology lesson?"

"Right," Brainy blushed sheepishly, his attention focusing on the contents of a data pad as he turned to Cosmic Boy. "Anyways, I was hoping that I could speak to you and Shrinking Violet for a moment... in private."

"Just what is it you can tell them and not us, huh?" a voice called out, followed by similar protests.

"That's enough," the Timber Wolf roared, silencing the room. "You don't trust Brainy. _We get it!_ Now just shut up and leave the kid alone. Unless you're the leader, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, or Saturn Girl, this is not a matter that you have a final say in. None of them are gonna make a biased decision just because he's their friend. They'll do what they think is the best and safest course of action, so just deal with it and drop the subject."

"Thank you, Timber Wolf," Cosmic Boy nodded in approval. Spinning on his heel, the Legion leader ushered the two teenagers into the hall. "Follow me."

"What about me?" Lightning Lad asked. "You sure you don't need my help with anything?"

"Thank you, Lightening Lad, but that won't be necessary." The redhead nodded in reluctant acceptance of his green friend's decision.

Footsteps echoed throughout the metallic corridors. The firm, confident steps of a grown man mingled with that of two nervous adolescents. Shrinking Violet looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye, taking in her good friend. She never really got a good look at him before, but now she could not help but be awed at how much he had changed. His blonde hair had a more natural sheen to it, appearing more golden in a way. The green skin, which originally was metallic, had a more creamy texture to it, contrasting greatly against his purple and black uniform. Out of all the changes, however, none were more startling then the orbs that were currently focused on the data pad in his hand. Back when he was merely a robot, he was forced to view the world through magenta screens that served as photoreceptors, a small yellow dash as his pupil was the only indication that he was actually observing something. Now... now the false eyes were replaced with actual orbs. Green shining with such distinct detail against the white.

The boy seemed to notice her staring and glanced up, a confused look etched into his features. Shaking herself out of her daze, Shrinking Violet continued to follow Cosmic Boy into one of the spare conference rooms.

"Now then," he began, turning on the lights and indicating for the two children to sit down. Shrinking Violet sat as instructed while Brainiac 5 remained standing, receiving a raised eyebrow from the older Legionnaire, who crossed his arms across his chest. "What's this about?"

"_Sigh_... it's about my departure." He raised his green hand, preventing the girl from jumping up in protest. "I told you that I was going to leave the Legion, and I meant it. I realize that this is upsetting for some, but at the moment it's what's best; for both the Legion and myself. I don't know if I'll ever be a Legionnaire, again. I hope that in time I'll be able to regain everyone's trust, but in order to do that I have to learn to trust myself. Here..."

"Wha... what's this?" Shrinking Violet asked as she took the tablet that the boy handed her.

"I may not be a Legionnaire anymore, but I'm not about to let a bunch of inferior apes attempt to handle Computo or any of the other equipment that I created. These are all of the codes and statistics you'll need in order to handle things."

"Brainy, I... I can't take over your job," Shrinking Violet looked up from the pad, her voice cracking with worry. "I'm not qualified to -"

"You're roughly estimated to have an 10th Level Intelligence, Vi. Out of everyone, you're the most qualified. If you have any questions, just ask Computo. He'll aid you with anything you may require assistance on. I've also reprogrammed him to grant you, and _only_ you, access to my lab and several of my classified files that might come in handy in the future. I trust you'll only use them as a last resort..."

"I seem to recall that you were banned from all Legion files and programming..." Cosmic Boy commented furiously. His arms dropped into fists by his sides, his eyes narrowing in on the boy, who was more intent on reviewing another data pad. "Who authorized this?"

"No one," was the only response given as the boy faced his superior, a calm and collective demeanor deflecting the violent aura radiating towards him. "I took the liberty of reprogramming the building's systems myself. I was, after all, the one who built Computo in the first place. In order to keep the files safe, I had embedded several firewalls and other protective programs into the system that would only allow myself to access them. If I were to leave without modifying them, then Computo would have denied you a good amount of files, data, programs, and that's just naming a few."

"Well, you should have just asked me."

"Let's look at this from a realistic view point, Cosmic Boy. Had I asked for permission, then the others would no doubt hear about it. In case you haven't noticed, there's a good amount of people who don't trust me right now. You'd have your authority as leader challenged because you let a _'traitorous computer genius' _rewire the entire system. Given your current popularity rates, do you actually believe that you would have said yes?"

"_Sigh_, very well, you've made your point. What else did you do?"

"If Violet finds someone to replace herself, then she can access the code in those notes to allow them access into my lab and the computers, but unless _I_ overwrite the system, she'll still be the only one to access my personal files. Although, I doubt it will ever come to that. As for the rest of the Legion," green eyes scrolled over the data pad before he handed it to the other boy. "Other then replacing my Computo authority with Shrinking Violet, everything should function properly, so there shouldn't be much for you to worry about. Unless of course some of the members - _ahem_ - decide to use perfectly good food as ammunition for the Matter Blaster 4000s, rewire the security system, and use the hanger bay as a war zone..."

Cosmic Boy slightly smiled as Shrinking Violet let loose a chuckle-snort as Brainiac 5 referred to the infamous _'Status Superiority War'_ that had taken place almost two years previously.

Several of the older Legionnaires, either by age or membership, had deemed themselves better then the younger, newer members. This eventually led to the creation of two armies; the _Cadets_, and the _Veterans_. The feud had begun innocent enough, merely random, juvenile pranks pulled every so often. But as time went on, the pranks had become more and more dangerous, until finally the two armies decided to end it once and for all. In a rush of stupidity, they had grabbed a load of Brainy's newest weapon and raided the kitchen, not to mention rewired the security feed so to spy on enemy lines. Using several of the ships as cover, a miniature war zone was set up as they began to attack with full force. By the time the Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5 put a halt to the fighting, the damage had been done. Despite that the guilty parties were forced to clean up the mess, it still took the android a good three months to repair the ships, reprogram the security framework, and rebuild the Matter Blaster 4000s.

"I hope the repairs and upgrades will prove adequate."

"Brainy... why are you doing all this?" his female comrade asked, propping her elbows on the table as she held her arms out as if to welcome an explanation. "I mean, I know you're leaving and you want us to be safe and everything, but I mean, just when are you leaving?"

"..."

"Brainy...?"

"Well..." he trailed off as his head turned nervously to the side, his gaze intently on the floor, bracing himself as he continued. "I'm leaving the morning after tomorrow."

A stunned silence filled the room as the occupants absorbed the news. Hesitantly, the Coluan looked up, awaiting their reaction. As he expected, the two members began drilling him with questions.

"Two days!" Shrinking Violet shrieked, standing up. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Where are you going?" Cosmic Boy inquired, a hint of worry in his voice. "Do you even _know_?"

"Guys..."

"When? I mean, what time?"

"_Guys..._"

"Are you leaving the city? The planet? Do you have a ship?"

"_Guys!_" The interrogation halted to a stop as the Coluan held his hands up in the universal sign language of '_Time Out'_, signaling them to be quiet. Both were surprised to find the a genuine smile plastered on the boy's face, followed by a small laugh.. A mild sense of relief fell over them, as it was the first time in over three months that he had shown a sense of happiness. "I appreciate your concern, but I assure you that just because I'm a little emotionally unstable at the moment _does not mean_ that I've lost all sense of logic. As for your questions, I didn't tell you earlier because I knew that it would cause an uproar. To be honest, I don't exactly know where I'll be going or for how long, but I do have a definite destination for my planned departure."

"Which is..." Cosmic Boy waved his hand for the boy to continue.

"I'm heading to Seinoob."

"Wha- but that's all the way in the backwaters of the East Quadrant!" Cosmic Boy blinked in surprise. "It's a boondocks planet. I realize that people are giving you a hard time, but you don't really have to run away to the middle of nowhere."

"And I'm not. There's a _STAR Labs_ facility there. The Head of Research and Development owes me a favor and I have a couple of... 'old friends' that currently reside there. I've been guaranteed a temporary position there."

"Exactly how long is _temporary_?" Shrinking Violet's voice was barely audible, but Brainiac 5 could still detect the sadness in the faint whisper. With a soft smile on his face, he stood before the girl as she clenched the table's edge. Gently resting a hand on her shoulder, he placed the other under her chin so to ease her focus away from her boots to his face.

"Oh, Vi..." Watery amethyst orbs sent a wave of guilt and sadness through him. "You _know_ that I can't stay here. I have to sort through these emotions -"

"Why can't you figure that out _here?_" Hysterically she jumped up, slapping his hands away and pushed him back. "Why can't you just let _us_ help you? You know we'd help! _You know!_ So why are you leaving? Is it because of Nemesis Kid? Huh? Is it because he's being a nasshead? We'll make him stop! We will! Is... is it... is it us? Are we just too annoying? D-do you re-really hah-hah-hate uh-us?"

Maybe it was how her white face was now a flushed pink with streaks stained along the sides of her cheeks. Maybe it was the way she had hunched over as her body became consumed in racking sobs, which were followed by a series of wet snorts. All he knew was that this scene was wrong. Before his twelfth level intelligence could register his actions, the Coluan youth had enveloped the girl in his arms. Wrapping one arm around her back, he used the other to press her head towards his neck as she in turn wrapped her arms around his chest in a desperate hug.

"Oh grife, Vi!" Tears threatened to fall as he held her close. Tenderly, green fingers raked through the raven locks as he rested his cheek on the crown of her head, his green eyes shut as if in hopes to find some solution to his friend's torment in the darkness. Cosmic Boy uncomfortably stood to the side, not wanting to disturb the two. He knew full well that the girl's outburst was the result of much pent-up frustration that had been building over the past few weeks, and decided that it would be better for her to get it off her chest among the three of them now, then in a fully crowded room later. "How could you even think that? I could never hate any of my teammates, least of all you. You're the only real friend I've ever had, even if I never really acted like one myself. Hate you? How could I?"

"Then why? Why can't you let me help you? You're going through a drastic change, Brainy! You can't get through this alone!"

"And I won't." Brainy unwrapped her arms from his chest and gently pushed her away so to face him, but kept his hold on her shoulder. Tear filled violet eyes looked up at him in frustrated sadness, and the Coluan could not help but smile. His green thumb stood out against her snow white skin as it wiped the salty drops away. "I promise...

I plan on contacting the Legion monthly for regular updates on my progress," Brainy looked up to face Cosmic Boy. "Assuming, of course, that it won't pose a problem?"

"Hmm..." The leader frowned a bit as he pondered the proposal, then nodded with a smile. "I believe that would be a fair compromise. Your, um, _'leave of absence'_ will calm down your slightly more untrusting parties, but the updates should also assure the more trusting parties of your safety and health."

"Then it's settled." Brainy clapped his hands together in a cheery sense of finality, although the slightly tired smile on his face seemed to say otherwise. "I'll finish packing tonight, then spend tomorrow saying my 'good-byes', as it were, to the other Legionnaires."

"So that's it then." Sighing in defeat, Shrinking Violet closed her eyes as she moved to lean against the table's edge again, her head tilted downward. "Nothing we say or do is going to change your mind, is it?"

"No, Vi, it won't. I need this." the green teenager grew slightly more serious as he shook his head in confirmation. "I'm not trying to sound rude, but you need to face the reality of it. I'm leaving the Legion. I might return one day to rejoin and I might not; I really don't know. I _will not_ be getting through this alone. I'll be with people that I know personally; people that I didn't encounter during my interface with Brainiac 1.0. One of them is actually the closest thing I ever had to family growing up. We understand each other in ways that no one else ever can. There are too many memories here, Vi. Even if it was my ancestor that was in control, my body did the deed. Every time I look around, I see things that reminds me of what I've done, and it's driving me insane. I need to be with people who I can look in the eye and know that I haven't hurt them in any way. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't," the girl replied. Crossing her arms with a blank look on her face, she tilted her head as she thought for a moment. A sigh was then emitted as she closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. A sad smile had made its way onto her face as she looked back up at her green friend. "I'll never fully understand what you're going through, Brainy. No one will, but I do see your reasoning."

"That's good to hear."

"Don't think I'm okay with this," she playfully punched him in the arm. "I'm still not happy that you're going. I'm not mad, just upset."

"The same goes for me." Both teenagers looked up at their leader as he rubbed the back of his neck nervous frustration. "Look, Brainia - uh, Brainy. I know I... haven't exactly been the greatest leader since the whole thing happened."

"Tch... ya think?"

Cosmic Boy glared at the Shrinking Violet as she rolled her eyes. It was not until her Coluan friend shot her a glance that she silenced herself.

"As I was saying, I haven't been completely reasonable about this whole matter. After what happened, I was scared and to be honest, I'm still a little uneasy about you. Nonetheless, that's no reason to have allowed the others to disrespect you the way they have. I was... wrong, and I'm sorry." The leader's face was squinched up as if he had just forced himself to curse. Shrinking Violet smiled as she opened her mouth to poke fun at the humiliated boy, but stopped when Brainy shook his head. Cosmic Boy was one of the most proud members of the Legion. For him to actually admit that he was wrong was both a rare occurrence and a hard task for the young man to do. "I should have put a stop to this whole _'Anti-B5'_ nonsense from the start."

"It's alright Cosmic Boy. I know the whole ordeal was hard on everyone, but as the leader, it was especially hard on you."

"I wouldn't be so forgiving yet," Cosmic Boy frowned at what he deemed an undeserved apology. "I'm going to be honest with you, because I believe that it's only fair. I'm sorry, but I admit that I don't want you in the Legion. As we've both agreed upon, you're unstable. I can't risk you having another break down or something else that could put the others in danger. I also don't trust you that much. I realize that you were used against your will, but for all we know Brainiac 1.0 may have somehow survived and is laying dormant inside your mind. Maybe as time goes on, myself and others will be able to trust you again, but for now, I believe that leaving the Legion is what's best for us all. Perhaps someday you can rejoin the legion, but for now, everyone needs to put this hysteria behind them. You need to leave and learn to control your emotions and sort through everything that has happened. Likewise, the Legion needs time to come to terms with what happened and learn to move past it. Until then, I agree that you merely interact with the Legion through periodic vid-comm relays."

"So what? Brainy can't even visit us?" Shrinking Violet advanced towards him in rage, her eyes wide with fury. "We can't even meet up with him to spend some quality time together? That's a load of nass!"

"Perhaps," Brainy placed a firm grip on her shoulder in oder to calm her down, his eyes locked with Cosmic Boy's. "We wait a while before discussing visits. Say about a year? Afterwords, those who wish to visit me on friendly terms can spend a few days on Seinoob, or wherever it is that I'm residing, about, let's say, every two months or so? Once the Legionnaires feel more comfortable about my presence, you can decide whether or not I'm allowed to visit you all here in New Metropolis. I honestly don't even plan on visiting Earth without the Legion's approval anyways."

Both Legionnaires stared at the Coluan in surprise as they spent a moment to take in his words. Shrinking Violet finally glanced over at her leader with a smile on her face before letting out a trademark giggle-snort.

"Wow, Brainy. Who knew you could be so reasonable? You should seriously consider taking up politics. You'd make a good diplomat."

"I must admit," added Cosmic Boy with a slight grin. "Despite your emotional turmoil, you certainly still know how to find logical solutions. Once again, that appears to be completely acceptable."

"_Heh._ Perhaps we better not let you rejoin the Legion. You might just beat Cos' here in a reelection for leadership."

"I highly doubt that."

"Don't worry. I don't think I'd be able to handle being a leader."

Brainy smiled as the room's tension finally subsided. For a second they just sat in the comfortable silence. It was not until the green member of the trio glanced down clock that the silence was finally broken.

"_Sigh..._ We better head back before the others start to worry. Nemesis Kid is probably suggesting that I abducted you two for some ridiculous evil reason. Besides," he stretch his arms above his head so to relax the tense muscles. The painful, yet pleasing sensation was just one of the many things that confused him. "I still have to finish packing."

"If you want, I can let the others know about your departure plans."

"Yeah, right." Shrinking Violet rolled her eyes as she waved the leader off with a doubtful, yet goodnatured smirk. "You just want everyone to think all the plans were _your_ ideas!"

"I do not!"

"I honestly don't mind. I just want everything to work out smoothly."

"Agreed. I'll go contact everyone and let them know the plans."

With that said, Cosmic Boy left the two youngster and headed toward the rec room. Shrinking Violet glanced over at her friend once more and smiled. Ever since the _'Brainiac Crisis'_ had ended, she had been worried for him. He was always secluding himself and never seemed to care about the things he use to. It warmed her heart to see him smile once again, and even though she knew he would be leaving them, she was glad to know that he was determined to get better.

Suddenly aware of his single spectator, his eyebrows knit together as he chuckled.

"What?"

"Hmm? Oh!" She shook her head in embarrassment. "It's nothing. Really. Um, is it alright if I help you pack?"

"I don't have that much stuff, Vi."

"I know, but... I'm not going to be able to spend time with you anymore for a really long time. I just want to use what little time we have left, you know?"

Brainy raised a brow as he looked at her as if she had just told him that she could swallow a complete planet in her smallest form. At first the girl was nervous, but when he smiled down at her, she felt her face break out into a giant grin.

"Sure. Why not? I guess I could use the company."

* * *

><p>That night as the other Legionnaires were preparing for bed, most were anything but happy. The news that Cosmic Boy had delivered filled them with such sadness. They didn't want Brainy to leave, and some feared they would fall asleep in tears. As the heroes settled into bed, however, a noise was heard. It was then that they felt a bit of hope.<p>

For just outside their doors and down the hall, a good deal of laughter and familiar snorts could be heard from a certain green boy's door.

**FIN**

* * *

><p>AN: I know, I know, crappy ending. Give me some slack. It's my first LoSH fic and I have some serious writer's block. And for the record, Superman wasn't there to defend Brainy because he was out on a mission. Just to clear that up.

* * *

><p><strong>Terminology:<strong>

-grife - "God"/"damn"

-nass - "shit"/"ass"

-sprock - "fuck"

-vid-comm relay - video web-camera type thing on giant computer screen


End file.
